1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a hybrid vehicle including an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, and an accumulator unit that can supply and receive electric power to and from the electric motor and can be charged with electric power from an external power supply, the hybrid vehicle selecting an electric motor operation mode in which the vehicle can run with power from the electric motor with operation of the internal combustion engine being stopped, or an engine operation mode in which the vehicle can run with the operation of the internal combustion engine, and a control method thereof.
2. Related Art
A conventionally proposed hybrid vehicle of this type includes an engine, a generator that generates electric power with power from the engine, a drive motor, and a battery that supplies and receives electric power to and from the generator and the motor (for example, see Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 6-165309). In this hybrid vehicle, the engine is started when a charge amount of the battery becomes lower than a lower limit value and the engine is stopped when the charge amount of the battery exceeds an upper limit value, and thus the charge amount of the battery is maintained within a certain range, and the engine is started when an elapsed time since the stop of the engine exceeds a predetermined time.